Silence, Stillness and Rhythm. Am I watching a film?

Lakshmi Iyer reviews Spinning Pinwheels: New & Selected Haiku & Haibun by K Ramesh

John Keats said, "The poetry of earth is never dead”. So true!

 

K Ramesh, a seasoned haijin, has mastered the art of tendering the macrocosm into microcosm; transcending the cycle of time and rebirth. Every poem has a story to tell and every story breathes slides of a typical Indian landscape, from village streets to school, through lanes and mountains and hills. The reader instinctively responds to the mood, emotions and perspectives wrapped up in a few chosen words.

 

vendor on the beach —

from hand to hand

a spinning pinwheel

 

Isn't it true that our lives are but a spinning pinwheel, constantly re-energising and rejuvenating our inner chakras.

 

Keen observations, subtle lingering moments and the silences hidden between the pause and the action is what has stayed with me. Ramesh's eye lens has captured images beyond one's imagination, questioning one's ability to have thought of that moment; ‘oh! How did I miss that!!’

 

As one begins to settle down with 

 

village asleep . . .

a crescent moon

over Shiva's temple

 

thoughts reach out to

 

morning sun . . .

ducks drinking 

at the village pump 

 

And still as one ponders; K Ramesh's camera lens sets the stage with heron, sunbird, egrets, parakeets, flamingos, moth, cicada, fireflies, cormorants, blackbuck and even crabs and turtles! He has a special mechanism of bringing oneness in even the minute forms of living. 

 

The mapping of seasons with visualising the 

 

dewdrops on a leaf

the earth 

holding oceans

 

summer morning . . .

a garden lizard drinks

the dewdrop on a leaf

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with more such,

 

afternoon breeze —

sound of the loom

from the weaver's house

 

dawn . . .

the neighbour's newborn 

stops crying 

 

It makes me wonder how Ramesh has worded so wordlessly every second of his experience to call it a Haiku moment!

 

K Ramesh's love for photography is the icing on the cake which navigates his inner voice to be the keen observer and transports us to reflect upon the pause. 

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The catchy scenes of 

 

misty railway station . . .

a man in shawl reading 

the newspaper 

 

waiting for the storks 

to cross the red sun

camera and i

 

and much more cultivate my approach and responsibility to understand and write Haiku not just for the sake of it, but to connect with the natural world. 

 

Who am I to judge the structure and aesthetics of the poems? ‘soap bubbles’ ‘pebble to pebble’ and ‘a small tree of tender leaves’ — soaks in gentle and innocent haiku and the journey continues! 

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On the Road, a Haibun amidst others speaks of the poet's sensitivity and how grounded he is as he articulates his emotions. 

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The bold cover painting pulls us through; so too the introduction, foreword and afterword! A million thanks to K Ramesh for crafting a splendid book.